I always believed marriage was about partnership. That’s why, for three years, I carried the weight of our household while my husband, Jake, locked himself in his home office, claiming he was “building our future.” Turns out, his definition of “work” was very different from mine.
Our life followed the same exhausting routine. I managed our two kids, kept the house running, and worked part-time to help with bills—all while tiptoeing around Jake’s “important meetings.” He’d emerge only to remind us how busy he was, how close he was to a big breakthrough. Yet, somehow, our bills were always late, and our bank account was always empty.
Then, one Wednesday, everything unraveled.
The kids were home from school, filling the house with their usual chaos. My son, Tyler, was chasing the dog, and my daughter, Mia, was practicing cartwheels in the living room. I was scrubbing the kitchen, trying to stay quiet, when a frying pan slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor.
Jake stormed out of his office, furious. “Can you not keep it down for one minute?” he shouted. “Do you know how embarrassing this is during a work meeting?”
That’s when I heard it—a woman’s laughter coming from his office.
My stomach dropped. I pushed past him and saw his computer screen: a cartoonish online game and a video call with a bubbly avatar named “SuzyLovely88.”
“This is your work?” I asked, my voice shaking.
Jake’s face turned red. “It’s just a hobby! You’re always so boring. Suzy actually listens to me!”
The truth hit me like a slap. While I’d been breaking my back for our family, he’d been chatting with a stranger online, pretending to work.
The next day, his mother called with an even wilder twist: “Suzy” wasn’t a woman at all. She was a middle-aged man who had been catfishing Jake for months—even convincing him to send money for fake plane tickets.
I laughed—hard. Then I filed for divorce.
Now, as a single mom with full custody, I’ve never felt lighter. The kids and I are finally free from Jake’s lies. And as for him? Well, I hope Suzy was worth it.
